Super Sherpa thread

Thanks for the update , Ive thought about doing a 300 kit if my sherpa ever gets tired . Sometimes reliability is a bad thing Please keep us updated as you get some miles on it .

Agreed - this is the first thread that I open when there is something new.

It might be time to put together an "best practices" for noobs (including those of us like me who are "eternal noobs"). Things like:

• Use oil with wet clutch protection (ATV or MC oil such as Valvoline).
• Rejetting: 35/127.5 or 30/130 have done well for many of us (refer to posting # ...)

This is a great idea Chicoprof!

Here's a start...
I've found the best all-around oil for our Sherpas (as well as a lot of other bikes is Shell Rotella T. That's right, diesel engine oil. It's very reasonably priced, and is JASO-MA rated, which is the rating our bikes requires. It was on sale at AutoZone a month or so ago for 13.99 for a gallon. That was 3.50 a quart. I bought several gallons. I've used it on all of my bikes except for the VStrom and the Terra. For the VStrom, I use Actevo and for the Terra I use very high dollar 10-50. Be aware that only Rotella T (15-40wt) carries the required JASO-MA rating. none of the other Rotellas do.

The other thing I do is change the oil on all but the VStrom and the Terra often, between 2000 and 2500 miles. I tend to ride the Sherpas, and KLR weighed down and heavy, in dusty areas and just generally make them work a bit harder than the normal bike. Changing the oil often is just cheap insurance in my opinion.

I stick with HiFlo Filtro HF112 for the Sherpas. It's very reasonably priced, and it's a fantastic oil filter.

I always balance my wheels and stay on top of air pressure.

Maxima Chain Wax for the chain and I stick with EK Enuma chains.

ATV compound on the brakes works best for me, carbon brakes have to get really hot before they work well.

Change tire valve caps to metal ones with a seal and a valve core remover.

I get the best results with standard tubes. I've had a number of pinch flats with both heavy and super heavy tubes strangely enough.

I use No-Toil air filter wash and oil.

Once a year, I go to someplace like Payless shoes and stick a couple dozen little stocking socks for trying on women's shoes in my pocket and depending on the ride, I'll put my air filter into a few of these. As soon as I feel the Sherpa bogging down a little bit, I'll take the filter out and take off a stocking and I'm good to go for a ways more. It work great in dusty conditions, that's for sure!

I check battery water level 2 times a year, always have to add a little (yes, I use standard wet cells).

I put silicone on both sides and around the entire surface of my valve cover gaskets, even though that's not what the manual says. It doesn't take much and I hate oil leaks!

About every 5 or 6 tanks of fuel, I put in about a tablespoon of Chevron Techron. It really keeps things clean and running best.

I'm super careful with front wheel installation because of speedo trigger and I don't pack it full of grease...

I've stayed with the stock tires, what most people say are junk, death-wings, blah blah blah... In my experience, it's been a great tire both on road and off, wet or dry, gravel, dirt, even sand, single and 2 track and still functional in mud, but not great in mud, though I avoid mud like a plague.

The trick with the Trailwing is tire pressure. I can run from 25 to 7, depending on conditions. Take a tire pump and experiment, it's a phenomenal tire on the Sherpa, and sometimes, you can get it for as low as $55.00.

On a side note, I once rode Sherpa #1 26 miles with a flat tire out of the Olympic National Forest. I stashed the bike in the woods while my wife was on her way to pick me up. I took the flat back tire home, put a new tube in, went back the next day and re-installed the wheel. As my wife drove off, and I started off behind her. I felt the rear end get "swimmy" again. I stopped, and sure enough, another flat. Vann was gone by then, so I figured I had better get going down the road, flat tire, 55 more miles. Initially, I had a nail in the tire and I pulled it out. I could see it clearly, but didn't think to feel the inside of the tire. There were 2 nails... What luck! Another tube in the tire and almost 2000 more miles on it. It's still hard to believe that tire held up to that kind of abuse.

The Sherpa is a fantastic bike. I don't think it has an equal. The build quality on these bikes was excellent, and I think people who bought these new really got their monies worth.

RX4Pain is a great resource as well and I hope he chimes in on this. I'm still considering a spring rate change, but I need to thin my herd substantially, before I spend any more money. VStrom, Terra, KLX250S for sale. May toss in a Sherpa if I don't move any of the first 3.

Best regards and EVERYONE! Check out Hektoglider's inspiring and visually impacting ride report if you haven't already. You won't be sorry!

Very helpful info -- thanks!

Installed a 13 tooth front sprocket last night (replacing the 12T)

the 12 feels so very good off road and on roads up to 50 mph, above that it sounds like it's a bit buzzy, it will still hit 70 mph and net 60mpg.

the 13 is the one I will stay with, it is between no where near enough power to sustain 65mph in a 10-15 mph head wind (14t), and sounding like your killing the engine with over rev. (12t), it will cruse at 60-65 and hit 74 with sounding like the rod is coming out the side, oddly though it will hit 70 in 5th as well.


the stock 14t is fine if you are a lighter rider and no wind shield or head wind.

riding all day tomorrow on single tracks and fire roads with a mix of country roads, will report on the performance and economy .

Rey & Vann,
Thanks for that post..
As a Sherpa noob that really helps me out..

And thank you ChicoProf for bringing up the idea of "best practices for noobs"..
I will be doing some re-jetting later this spring following your lead..

1stgenfarmboy,
I installed a 11 tooth sprocket probably last July because I didn't want to depend on speed and momentum to do the things I wanted to do as I spend 95% of my riding off road..
My body is old with slow reflex's these days and I am new to off road..
Need all the advantage I can get..

Problem was that small of a sprocket was causing the chain to ride on top of the swing arm..
Did your 12 tooth sprocket give you that same problem?

BTW the 11 tooth changed the fun factor to high rotation!
Loved it..

I didn't notice it riding hard on the guard, I think for $15.00 it would be worth a try, I will put the 12T back on when my wife goes with me and we are in the mountains, like you said the fun factor is way up with a small sprocket on the front.

I know installing hand guards isn't rocket science....I was about to buy a pair of Tusk D-Flex guards when a friend gave me a pair of Acerbis plastic guards (no aluminum or steel frame into the end of the grip).

Now they do fit a 7/8" bar but they do not seem to fit around the control switch assembly or mirror clamp. There's no adjustment option on them at all it.

Has anyone see this economical version of guards and how they attach that can comfirm I'm not missing anything.



I assume the Tusk D-Flex will fit on without issue.

Thanks

Ron

Well after making my initial purchase of my 2001 Super Sherpa I discovered I was leaking oil on my 430+ mile ride back home on the freeway. Not a great time to discover such an issue.
Thanks to this site and some help from the Yahoo group I was able to narrow it down to countershaft sprocket seals. Here is a few pics from the procedure in hope that it may help someone in the future.



Bike looks ready to go in Louisiana.



By the second stop for fuel, this isn't looking good at all and it's about 2:45am driving all night to get back!



Eventually make it back with little to no rear brakes due to oil and luckily rear tire did good enough.


17 and 22 mm are the required sizes.



Looking pretty oily



Remove snap ring



Sprocket comes off



Remove this part


That's where oring sits



There is the old one.



For reference and part #'s



Definite thickness difference.



Put new oring on! I lightly lubed oring with some clean oil.

The other seal was recently replaced so I'll keep part I ordered as a spare.



Reverse installation



I think this is the original chain!



And sprockets 14/43



Back together



Anyone have a clue what these markings are on the bottom of the case? Does this mean it's been split sorry before? Bike didn't come with a skid plate so I'll need to work on that, I read the original is more like a bug guard, than a skid plate anyhow!

Hope this helps some other ADV'r cuz this thread has been a tremendous help to me! Thanks to all who contribute!

I've never seen those Acerbis handguards but I can confirm that the Tusk work fine. I have them on my Sherpa (with Renthal bars) and a friend has them on his Sherpa (with stock bars) and both were easy to install and have been rock solid so far.

I'm sure someone else can help with the other part of your question.

Derek

Try Turbo city for a skid plate & engine guards . Looking like a chain and sprocket set is in the near future also. Mine has those markings on the cases . Don't now if they are factory but my engine has been split.

Great write up! I don't have the leak issue but when I do this post will make the re/re easy peasy....Thanks!

Thanks Derek....I'll carry on with Plan A and order the D-Flex guards. I actually wanted the bright orange anyways to be more visible and the added protection of the bar in the plastic.

I keep seeing an ad for a 2002 Super Sherpa with 3500 miles on it on the local CL. It looks clean, but the guy is asking 2500 for it. Would that be a bad buy?

Prices are always driven by the market. I think that price would be typical around here (California), but a tad high in most places for an '02. I'd check it out and see if he'll go down.

I found a non-running one recently (may just be dead battery after sitting for over a year) on the Reno, NV craigslist for $2k. I'd probably have picked it up if it was California registered (a problem here).

Yeah, I think it's $500 over NADA value, but he just put new tires on it and had his mechanic give it a tune up.

Dual sports seem to be going for ridiculous prices around here anyway, this is less ridiculous than most I've seen. I'll probably see if he'll come down on it, but his ad said "price is firm".

I definitely wouldn't mind paying that if the bike is in the condition that the ad depicts. There's an XT225 for 2200 not far from me also, but I think I would be happier on the Sherp.

it's ALWAYS worth what someone is willing to pay for it, no matter what it is sometimes it's better to pay that "little extra" IF it's a good example.

I have my Sherpa up on a stand currently as I just installed new clutch plates. After reinstalling the side case and adding oil, I checked the bottom for any oil leaks and discovered the same markings as in your photos. I'm not sure what they are from, but I'm guessing maybe stones that got stuck there while riding? Not sure.:huh

BTW from the look of your photos of the front sprocket I say its done and needs to be changed out.:eek1

Derek,

Do you recall if this is the version of the Tusk that was on the Super Sherpa?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/D-FLEX-HAND...Parts_Accessories&hash=item35cb48ab6b&vxp=mtr